Zurich between the river and the lake
Zurich brings together an old town on the Limmat, lakeside promenades and museums with very different subjects. Start by deciding whether you want to explore the city on foot, add a boat journey or reserve a full day for the surrounding region. The old town is accessible on foot from the main railway station, Zürich HB. Niederdorf lies on the right bank of the Limmat and forms a car-free part of the historic centre.
Lindenhof gives you a view over the river towards the town hall and Grossmünster. Bahnhofstrasse follows the line of a former city moat. These places make a useful introduction before you turn to individual church interiors, museum collections or a guided walk. For a city visit with hotel pickup, see the private tours; for independent exploring, begin with the sights guide.
Zurich experiences
Choose a museum ticket for chocolate or a local food walk for tastings. For a longer outing, consider the guided Alpine villages trip.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in Swiss francs (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Zurich food and drink tasting walk
- Bircher Muesli
- Traditional Zurich Sausage with Sauerkraut
- A selection of Swiss Chocolate
On Mondays, Swiss fondue replaces the cheese tasting with hay schnapps and fondue bites.
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Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen from Zurich
- Comfortable round-trip transportation
- Professional tour guide
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board
Free time includes four hours in Grindelwald; entrance tickets cost extra.
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Interlaken and Alpine villages
- Fully guided tour
- Transportation in a comfortable coach
- Visit to Interlaken
The guided itinerary also visits Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald.
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Zurich old town, lake and chocolate museum
- Guided walk of Zurich's Old Town
- 30-minute public boat cruise
- Admission to the Lindt Home of Chocolate
The FIFA Museum is included only with the selected option. The chocolate museum in Kilchberg is closed on 3 November 2026 and opens at noon on 4 November.
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Private Zurich walking tour
- Local tour guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Walking tour
Explore with a local guide; attraction tickets cost extra.
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Chocolate museum admission in Kilchberg
- Museum entrance ticket
- Audio guide
- Chocolate tasting
The museum is closed on 3 November 2026 and opens at noon on 4 November.
Check availability →City walks, chocolate and journeys beyond Zurich
Choose between a private city walk, a city and lake combination, a food walk, chocolate museum admission and full-day excursions.
Choose a city experience
A guided old-town walk keeps the focus on streets, squares and stories. The private walking option includes a local guide and hotel pickup and return; attraction tickets and food are extra. The broader city combination includes a guided old-town walk, bus transport, a public boat segment and admission with an audio guide to Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg. Its museum is outside the old town, so this is a different choice from a walk between central chocolate shops.
For a meal-led introduction, the food walk starting at Bellevueplatz includes Swiss dishes, chocolate and drinks. Its Monday programme replaces the cheese tasting with hay schnapps and fondue bites with traditional fondue. The separate chocolate museum ticket includes admission, an audio guide and tasting. Lindt Home of Chocolate is closed for revision on 3 November 2026 and reopens at noon on 4 November. Keep those dates in mind when choosing a museum day.
Find the right part of the guide
Use the city pages for the places you want to see and the practical pages for the journeys between them. The tour overview compares formats; the individual guides explain church access, boat journeys, tasting experiences and museum admission in more detail.
Tours and excursions
Compare city formats and excursions.
Things to do
Squares, churches and the waterfront.
Day trips
Choose a journey beyond the city.
Private tours
Walking, electric tuk-tuk and a lake combination.
Old town
Niederdorf, Lindenhof and church visits.
Lake journeys
Boat formats and current access.
Chocolate walks
Sweet tastings and Kilchberg.
Food tours
Dishes, drinks and meeting points.
Museums
Collections, exhibitions and admission.
Uetliberg
Rail access and the Planet Trail.
City history
Follow the city through its surviving places.
When to visit
Seasonal opening and travel conditions.
Where to stay
Compare areas by your onward journeys.
Airport arrival
Train, tram and private transfer.
The lake and a day beyond the city
The waterfront offers a different perspective from the lanes of Niederdorf. In Seefeld, the promenade sits alongside streets carrying traffic, so choose your walking route along the shore rather than treating the whole district as one quiet zone. Public lake services have used a low-water special timetable since 19 October 2026: the small round trip lasts 55 minutes and the larger replacement round trip lasts one hour 45 minutes. The special timetable advises against wheelchair and pushchair journeys because access is difficult.
The full-day excursions presented here visit Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen with transport and a guide. One format includes separate periods of free time; the other is a guided coach outing to the three places. Food, entrance tickets and optional activities need their own budget according to the selected product. Use the day-trip comparison to choose an excursion rather than trying to add a mountain day to a full city programme.
Practical details that shape your day
From Zurich Airport, trains and S-Bahn services reach HB in about 10 to 15 minutes. Continue with the airport guide for tickets and onward routes. For the Uetliberg, the S10 starts at Selnau while the section from HB remains closed through 12 December 2026. A meeting point at HB and the railway departure station can therefore be different places.
Church interiors follow their own visiting arrangements. Grossmünster offers free quiet visits, while the Karlsturm has paid admission and, since 3 August 2026, opens only Friday to Sunday, subject to weather. Fraumünster sells tourist tickets on site. Museums provide an indoor alternative, but regular Monday closures apply at the Landesmuseum and Kunsthaus. Match your accommodation area to the journeys you intend to make, then keep some time between separately booked activities.
Questions about visiting Zurich
Is this an independent guide?
Yes. This is an independent guide to Zurich, rather than a tourism office, municipality, museum or transport operator. It brings city information and bookable experiences together.
Should I start with the old town or the lake?
Choose the old town for walking, historic streets and churches. Choose a lake combination when the boat journey is a main part of your day. Both approaches work as a starting point for the more detailed guides.
Can I visit museums and churches with one tour ticket?
Read the included attractions for the specific experience. A walking guide, a museum admission and a combined city excursion cover different services; the old-town guide explains separate church admission.
Where should I look for seasonal restrictions?
The travel-time guide brings together changing church hours, lake services and mountain access. Use it alongside the page for the attraction you plan to visit.